The Way It Is
by Iris Patton
Summary: Grief can change you in ways you thought weren't possible. It can make you believe things that you know aren't possible but you still believe them, you still fall. Then someone offers you a hand to get back up again and you trust them again and you see what's real. A different take on S2E23 of The Flash. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

**The Way It Is**

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 **Summary:** _Grieve can change you in ways you thought weren't possible. It can make you believe things that you know aren't possible but you still believe them, you still fall. Then someone offers you a hand to get back up again and you trust them again and you see what's real. A different take on S2E23 of The Flash._

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 **A/N:** _ **Just the way I imagined the season finale to happen, well not imagined cux I know that's not gonna happen so...**_ _ **Now the characters may seem like a little OOC but what can I say. I mean everyone handles grieve differently, sometimes It pushes you to the edge, but believe that there is always someone to catch you if you fall, to give you a hand to hold on to. One more thing I've been planning to write something like this since last season, so it's not like I got the idea from the season finale... but I'll take some things from the Episode...that's all. Enjoy the chapter, there may be more depends on my mood.**_

 **DISCLAIMER:** **I Do Not Own The Flash. Because if I did Barry would be in a hospital fighting for his life.**

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 **CHAPTER 1**

He couldn't believe what happened. He didn't want to believe that it happened... again.

"No no no no no, it's not real, it's not real, this isn't happening again. Dad! Dad! Come on stay with me, please just stay with me, look at me. No, please don't leave, don't leave again, please you can't do this, you have to stay I need you please, Dad!" Pleaded Barry holding onto his father's cold lifeless body, crying helplessly. He didn't care about anything in the world at that time, he just wanted to save his father but it was too late, he was too late. Zoom killed him.

Zoom had left as soon as he killed Henry, leaving Barry alone with the corpse of his Father. He sat there for what felt like eternity when the door burst open again and someone entered. Barry didn't look up or paid any attention to it, too busy trying to wake his father up. He felt someone knelt beside him and he looked up to see Joe with a sad and apologizing look on his face.

"Joe, He's not waking up Joe, please do something. He's not breathing, no matter how much I try he wouldn't wake up, please I can't lose him, do something we have to take him to the hospital..." he kept pleading Joe to help him save his father, his words choked but Joe knew it was too late. He wrapped an arm around his son, "Barry, I'm so sorry son but it's going to be okay, you're going to be okay".

As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it, Barry turned around to face him and the look on his face, the same look he saw 15 years ago on an Eleven year kid whose mother just died, it was there again Joe could see it and the others behind him, Iris, Cisco, Caitlin, they could see it too, the look of pure horror and disbelief and confusion and Joe knew Barry was in denial by the way he kept a firm hold on Henry's body, trying to protect him.

"Come on Bar, we have to go- "he was interrupted "I'm not leaving him here! We have to help him! please just help him" his voice barely audible at the end. Joe has seen this before; he has dealt with this before but it didn't make it any easier. "Bar I'm sorry son but we have to leave now, come on" Joe pried Barry's hand from his father's corpse and stood up with Barry struggling.

"No! I' not leaving him, you can't make me leave! No, Dad! Dad! I have to help him! Let go of me! You can't take him from me, I won't let this happen again!". Everyone was frozen on the spot and was watching Joe handle Barry but when they saw Barry struggling Cisco ran forward and helped Joe take Barry out of the house and in the car which was a lot harder than it sounds. Iris and Caitlin got out of their shock and called the police.

They have never seen Barry like this before, they being Caitlin and Cisco so they didn't know what to do. They watched as Joe and Iris tried in vain to comfort Barry. He was constantly trying to get out of their hold to get to his dad so he could save him, constantly shouting, pleading the same thing. But as they reached the West- residence he shut down and went completely slack in Joe's grip. His eyes glassy and unfocused and lips moving, trying to say something.

Again Joe and Cisco got him out of the car and into the house and on the couch. Joe called Captain Singh and told him everything while Iris, Caitlin and Cisco sat by Barry. Harry came from upstairs with Jesse and Wally in tow and the moment he saw Barry he understood.

When Joe came back from to the siting room Barry was still the same. "He's in shock and he won't respond to anything we say. He's just sitting there. Joe we have to do something" Caitlin was the first to break the silence by telling Joe the current condition. Everyone was shaken up by the news. Everyone spent the night at West House that night. They all pretended they were okay but it was hard to do that.

After a few hours and everyone was still trying to grasp what had happened, Captain Singh had taken care of the body and told Joe to stay with Barry and that he didn't need any statements tonight when Joe told him Barry's condition. Joe had taken Barry to his room helped him out of his Flash suit and tucked him in bed and all the while Barry still didn't say a word. Joe had everyone out of the room to give Barry some space but he himself stayed because a barely audible "Stay" had stopped him, because he knew from experience unfortunately that Barry was scared and he needed him, so he stayed and all night he held Barry in his arms, and that little boy was still there with wide eyes and a scared look, not able to sleep because he had seen the horrors of the world.

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 **I was not squeezing the life out of a bottle and crying from the inside while watching the season finale of The Flash...okay I was! But I had a reason don't tell me you weren't. Anyways Like it, love it or hate it tell me in the review. Constructive criticism is always welcome and this is the first Flash story I have written. I'll update my other stories soon, two dreadful words, Writer's block. And I'll update soon the nest chapter. There's a poll up on my profile, feel free to help.**

 _ **-Iris Patton :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **Here's chapter 2. I was thinking of leaving it as a one-shot but then this happened. Review Responses:**

 **Guest 1 :** **I would appreciate if you'll leave a name. but thanks mate.**

 **Guest 2 :** **Same goes for u. Here's your update late but here it is. & thank you I do try my best.**

 **Lady Sarlon :** **Thank you too. Sorry about the grammar English isn't my first language… but thanks for correcting me u can do that again n I'll fix up the mistakes.**

 **Enjoy.**

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 **CHAPTER 2**

The next day when Joe went down stairs everyone one was waking up, they slept on the couches the night before. As soon as he stepped in the sitting room everyone's eyes were on him, they all wanted to know only one thing. "How's Barry?" asked Iris, as everyone waited for an answer Joe went to the couch and sat down with a heavy sigh, completely exhausted.

Iris came and sat down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. With another heavy sigh he answered, "He's... not okay, I don't know what to do anymore, I just got him to sleep, he was up all night. He was scared... I don't think I've seen him this scared before, not even when Nora... but he's still in Denial. Not once did he said a word, he was in some kind of delusion or something, because he kept mumbling something, I couldn't understand him, he kept trying to say something but couldn't voice it...".

Everyone was quite after Joe was finished. It was a lot to take in, just when they thought that everything was over, that they had won, everything went crumbling down and now Henry was dead, Zoom was back, Wally knew about Barry being the Flash, and Barry, he was simply broken, crushed by watching his father die by a speedster in the same way and in the same place his mother died. He was in no condition to talk to someone let alone stopping Zoom. "Don't worry Joe, I know it's going to be difficult but Barry will be okay, It's going to take some time and patience. Trust me I know", Caitlin was the one assuring Joe, knowing from experience what losing someone can do to you.

Everyone was quite for a long while, until they heard footsteps, they all turned around to see none other than Barry himself, coming downstairs in a suit. He stopped on the last step and looked at everyone in the room like they were the one doing something incongruous. Joe was the one to react first and went to Barry's side looking at him with suspiciousness. "I thought you were sleeping? Bar you okay? And why are you wearing this?" gesturing to his black tuxedo. Barry simply stood there for a while then with so much simplicity he answered like it was the most obvious thing he would do, "I have to attend a funeral, I couldn't sleep so I thought I should get ready, why aren't you guys ready".

Everyone was staring at him, mouth agape and eyes wide, they hadn't thought that Barry would be the one telling them to get ready for his father's _'FUNERAL'_. They all thought that it would be them to convince Barry that his father really is dead and now they have to attend his funeral. Iris was the first to talk, "Yeah we'll get ready in a minute why don't you eat something until then, we won't take long, you look a bit tired, you sure you're okay" she played along knowing Barry was 'CLEARLY' not okay and if they push any further he'll completely shut down again. Unfortunately, she knew this from experience too. She had handled him before when he was grieving for his mother and now she'll do it again.

He just shook his head "No, thank you but I'm fine, I'll just be outside, you guys go get ready" and he head out the door before anyone could say something else. Cisco and Caitlin shared worried glances, as Iris and Joe knew exactly what was happening. They knew because they've seen it before, because Barry had done it before, he would act like he was fine, as if everything around him didn't affect him. He would be on his best behavior as if nothing had happened, as if he's the happiest person to walk on this planet.

...

It was late evening when they were finally at home. They had said their goodbyes to Henry and were currently at the West Residence. Everyone was either sitting idly at the dinner table or on the couch, engaged in little chats, all except Barry who was standing by the window, starring blankly outside. "Barry?", when Barry turned around, it was Wally who came to him, offering a plate of food. "Here, I thought you should eat something since you haven't eaten anything since morning and it's not good for your health and you know, your metabolism is faster than anyone, so all the more reason to eat something before you pass out. Harry told me everything, it's a little hard to wrap my mind around it but yeah. I – um – I wanted to say Thank you for saving my life and everything else and I know it's a hard time for you but you should know that we are all here for you". As Wally completed his rant Barry was starring at him, a little surprised that it was Wally out of everyone who came to him, although it was clear that he didn't know what to say by the way he was ranting, but it was some how a little comforting that someone still thought about him.

He knew he and Wally didn't start off on the right foot but they both cared about each other in their own way, they were family after all. ' _BUT MY FAMILY IS DEAD'_ it was a thought he was trying to get out of his head, his rational part of brain knew that wasn't true but it was stuck and the more he thought about it the more overwhelmed he got.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he got startled when he felt a hand on his upper arm. Once again it was Wally, "dude you okay? You look a little pale, you should really eat something". Barry didn't answer, instead just starred at him, he was doing that a lot today, huh?

As Barry was going to answer, there was blue lightening in the house and for a minute Barry could swear he saw Zoom. Every one was startled by that sudden disruption. They all knew who it was but they thought they had at least a little more time. Red lightening was seen as Barry flashed out of there, after _'THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS FATHER',_ seems ironic isn't it just a year before he was obsessed in finding _'THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS MOTHER'_ and now…. Looks like history does repeat itself.

...

They were all in S.T.A.R. Labs brainstorming on what to do about Zoom's offer for just a ' _FRIENDLY'_ race. Everyone was inclining more toward disagreeing about the idea and as always Barry was going along with the idea, wanting to avenge his father. Then Harry revealed the big secret, Zoom's master plan.

"Seriously what is it with every evil speedster destroying the world, or in this case _'WORLDS'_ , can't they just leave the universe alone, I mean give it a rest dude!", a frustrated Cisco stomped out of the cortex, with an equally frustrated Caitlin. "Cisco, the universe is not a guy that you can just leave alone, but for once I totally agree with you".

Harry and Joe sighed as Barry walked out of the room quietly. A silent conversation was exchanged between the two before Joe went after Barry. All the while an equally quite Wally was standing on the far side of the room. Iris knew something was bothering him, it was a lot to take in even now she sometimes gets overwhelmed herself, it must have been hard for Wally. She decided it was the right time to talk to him.

"Wally..."

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 **Sorry I didn't update soon. Life happened and I got busy, so yeah but I'm still working on 'Lost and Found'. I know I haven't updated in months but my writing skills got hit by the wall name "WRITER'S BLOCK' I know it's a scary wall. But I'm working on it as I said before but don't worry I'll update in a week, maybe? Who know this came out of nowhere. I know the ending sucks but I was sleepy and IDK Okay! Just Tell me in the comments.**

 _ **-Iris Patton :)**_


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